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Table of Contents


What is it?

Magic Lantern is an enhancement atop of Canon's firmware that frees your Canon DSLR, allowing you to use many useful features. It is an open (GPL) framework for developing extensions to the official software.

Does Magic Lantern completely replace Canon firmware?


To go back to Canon firmware, you may:


Is Magic Lantern only for video?

No. First versions were developed by independent filmmakers and tailored for video production on 5D Mark II. Things changed when Magic Lantern was ported to smaller (APS-C) cameras, like 550D, 60D, 600D and 500D, which attracted developers interested in both still photography and DSLR video.

Visit the gallery for photo examples.



Is it safe?







As a precaution, the installer asks you to make a backup copy of your ROM files on the PC. That way, if something goes wrong, we have higher chances of being able to diagnose or fix he issue.


Does it void my warranty?

A Magic Lantern user posted this on dpreview:



And another user posted this on t2iforum:





How will it interact with future upgrades from Canon?




How do I bring up the Magic Lantern menus?

Press the DELETE button.

Why can't I see feature X in the menu?

The feature you are looking for is probably available in a module (for example, raw video, dual ISO, Lua scripting).

Navigate to the Modules tab, load the module(s) you need (not all of them!), then restart your camera.

More info about modules: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=12713.0

If you still can't find it, the feature is probably not available on your camera. See http://builds.magiclantern.fm/#/features for a feature comparison table.

Why can't I see the Magic Lantern overlays I enabled?


In general, ML features that require some extra setup will be grayed out in the menu, and the help text at the bottom of the screen will tell you why.

How do I restore ML default settings?

Prefs → Config → Restore ML defaults.

Alternative: format the card and do a fresh install.

How do I erase all of the images without removing ML?

Canon menu → Format → Format card, keep Magic Lantern.

How do I record for more than 12 minutes?

  • H.264:
  • RAW:
    • Can record continuously until the card gets full (no 30-minute limit).
    • File sizes are huge; you may want to reduce resolution and/or FPS; also use a large card.
    • exFAT recommended; otherwise, when creating a new 4GB segment, the speed drops a bit and recording may stop.
  • External HDMI recorder:
    • Enable the Clear Overlays feature to hide the focus box and the 16:9 bars.

How do I get exposure times longer than 30 seconds?

You may use:

How do I see shutter counter / CMOS temperature?

Look in `Debug`_ menu.

Can I use LiveView in complete darkness?


Yes. Increase display gain, use a low FPS (with FPS override), or both. With a bit of tweaking, you can make the LiveView bright enough to manually focus on stars, for example.


How do I shoot timelapse?

You have a couple of options:

  • Intervalometer - the classic way. You will have to postprocess the shots in order to create the final movie. In this mode, you also have access to advanced options like ramping tools, HDR timelapse or very long exposures.
  • Silent picture timelapse, to save the shutter count.
  • For exposure ramping, the preferred method is AutoETTR followed by deflickering in post.
  • For ramping other parameters, try the advanced intervalometer module.

I want to change the settings quickly, without having to press lots of buttons. Can ML help me?

Yes. Check out these features:

  • Shortcut keys for commonly used functions (including push-button white balance)
  • Config presets for all ML settings.
  • Ultra fast zoom in playback mode.
  • Customizable menu - you can configure it to only display the essentials, so you don't have to scroll through lots of menus.
  • My Menu - similar to Canon's implementation
  • Junkie menu - all your important settings on a single page.

Does Magic Lantern consume more power than standard Canon firmware?

In LiveView it draws 3-5% more power (measured on 60D and 5D Mark II with zebra and focus peaking active). See this forum thread for details.


In plain photo mode with display off, the power draw is a bit higher, because Magic Lantern disables CPU powersaving features (otherwise, intervalometer and other ML functions would stop running). We have measured 6% / hour on 60D (compared to 4% / hour with Canon firmware), and 10% / hour on 5D Mark II (compared to 5% / hour with Canon firmware).

Why the audio is so quiet / noisy after disabling AGC?





From Canon menu.


How do I install it?


How do I uninstall it?

Simply format the card. The bootflag will be still there, but it will generally not affect normal operation. There are two known exceptions though: EyeFi cards will not work, and startup time may be a little slower, even on non-ML cards.

To remove the bootflag, run Firmware Update from a ML card and follow the instructions.


It will print a message telling you so, and will invite you to take the battery out.

This was simple enough to be implemented with portable (camera-independent) code.

Does ML do any persistent changes to my camera?

Yes. Besides the bootflag (which is required for auto-boot), there are a couple of other changes to Canon settings, which are saved into flash ROM by Canon firmware. These are:

  • ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance;
  • Exposure compensation, drive mode;
  • Picture style and associated parameters;
  • On 650D, 700D and EOS M, the movie crop mode is also a persistent Canon setting, not present in Canon menus;
  • AFMA values (on models that already have this feature from Canon);
  • Preferred card (on models with dual card slot);
  • others (the list is incomplete).

With few exceptions, these settings can also be changed from Canon menus or controls. Sometimes, ML lets you specify values outside the normal range allowed by Canon's user interface (for example: Kelvin white balance, AFMA values, intermediate ISO/shutter/aperture values).





It won't boot!

  • Remove battery and card. Put battery back and start the camera without card.
  • If the above works, just format the card and do a fresh install of ML.
  • If it still doesn't boot, try running our diagnostic tools.
  • If you still have problems, ask on the forum.
  • Old versions only: if the LED is blinking continuously, you have the wrong Canon firmware version.

Where is bulb ramping?

It was replaced with AutoETTR followed by deflickering in post. Check this forum thread: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5705.0

This method gives much better results, compared to the old implementation. Why? Because AutoETTR attempts to minimize noise (subject to various constraints), and the deflicker algorithm also corrects variations such as quantization errors when ramping the exposure (up to 0.125 EV for shutter speed) or natural flicker.

Furthermore, the exposure and the deflicker algorithm are independent now, so you can swap out ETTR and use any exposure method you wish (such as manual ramping, Canon's Av mode, or the AutoExpo module).

You can even use the deflickering algorithm for regular pictures, to get consistent brightness in post.

For advanced ramping options, check out the Advanced Intervalometer module.

Where is movie mode remap?





`Trap focus`_ may be active.


Mirror Lockup (MLU) is active.

Why is the LED blinking every 5 seconds?

You may have forgotten your camera on… with the main display off.

This is also a reminder that, when the main display is off, battery will drain faster than with Canon firmware (about twice as fast). When the display is on, the difference is much less obvious.

Why did the autofocus stop working?



Why picture style X does not appear in movie mode?




  • If you get ERR70, you will also get a crash log on your card. Please send this file to developers.
  • Make sure the problem goes away with stock Canon firmware.
    • If yes, it's probably a ML bug. Find a way to reproduce it with the latest nightly build, and report it on the issue tracker.
    • Otherwise, it's probably a hardware issue - try a different card, card reader, lens or whatever else might be relevant to your particular problem.
  • For general questions, installation issues, or for assistance with potentially bricked cameras, please use the forum.

What about ERR20 when taking pictures?



Consider entering your shutter count in the Camera Shutter Life Database.

Why feature X doesn't work properly?

  • Look in the forum. If you can't find the solution, you may ask for help.
  • If you suspect a ML bug, find a way to reproduce it with the latest nightly build, and report it on the issue tracker.


Does it work with CHDK?


Why the name change?


What is it written in? Can I get the source?


How do I get a ROM0.bin firmware image?

We do not distribute ROM images, nor IDA .idb files, since they are verbatim copies of Canon's copyrighted code. You can find the ROM images from your own camera under ML/LOGS on your card.





Has Canon contacted you?


Troll Questions





Because the 650D isn't your Sony camera.


Why stop at 4k? Why not 8K?





How exactly did you reach this conclusion?

Any progress on XYZ?

If you can't find anything about it in the relevant forum thread, it's safe to assume there was none.

If you are interested in XYZ and have the skills to improve it, feel free to do so and submit a pull request.

If you don't have the right skills, asking this question will only serve to annoy those who might have them. Doing some research about XYZ and sharing your findings would be much better - this may encourage others to take a look at it.

When will you implement XYZ?

When it's ready.

Don't forget that Magic Lantern is a spare-time project, so the progress is not always as rapid as we would like. More info here and here.


Chasing the devs for ideas about timescales, feature implementations and so on is a little pushy. They will get to it in their own time and announce what they are working on and so on here. So feel free to ask about upcoming features, but the “when” question only really serves to slightly irritate devs.

When will you release the next version?

As soon as some new feature / bug fix becomes good enough for us, it will be included in the nightly builds.

When will you release the next *stable* version?

As soon as you will provide us with clear and concise testing and bug reports for all ML features from the nightly builds.

Since this did not happen for the past few years, and we no longer have the time and resources to do the testing ourselves, there are currently no plans for a new stable release.


faq.1512922761.txt.gz · Last modified: 2017/12/10 17:19 by a1ex